| | Honey bees are the most valuable managed pollinator of crops. The value of pollination activities accounts for one third of the food produced in Western countries. Alberta is the largest honey-producing province in Canada. With over 235,000 bee colonies in 2008, the province has one third of Canada's bee colonies. The value of farm cash receipts from honey production and pollination rental fees ranges from $40 to $57.5 million per year.
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In addition, the estimated contribution of honey bees to Alberta's crop industry production (canola, forage crops, clover, small fruits, etc.) through pollination is $350 million per year. Beekeepers rent over 80,000 honey bee colonies per year for the pollination of hybrid canola in southern Alberta. These rented bee colonies used for pollinating hybrid canola in Alberta represent the largest number of colonies moved for pollinating a single crop in Canada.
"Alberta beekeepers experienced high winter losses (30 per cent per year) in 2007 and in 2008," says Medhat Nasr, provincial apiculturist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Edmonton. "Preliminary reports for 2009 indicate that honey bee winter losses once again average approximately 28 per cent, ranging from 5 to 70 per cent. These reported high winterkill decreased the number of bee colonies in Alberta by 15 per cent in 2008 from the number of colonies reported in 2006. Honey production was also down by 25 per cent in Alberta (Statistics Canada 2008). The estimated cost of losses to beekeepers was up to $25 million per year.
"These reported losses suggest that the entire beekeeping industry, including commercial beekeeping operations in Alberta, is at high risk. Failing to control Varroa mites and the newly discovered fungal disease, Nosema ceranae, will continue to significantly increase the risks of high annual losses of honey bee colonies in Alberta. Therefore, a completely new approach to improve capabilities of beekeepers to manage risk is required."
In response to the unfolding bee health calamity, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development has taken the lead in a partnership with the Alberta Beekeepers Commission, the hybrid canola seed production companies, the Southern Alberta Beekeepers Association and private commercial beekeeping operations to address this concern. A research proposal was developed with the overall goal of developing a new applied approach that involves:
- developing a bee pest monitoring system that can predict population outbreaks of known pests and provide an early warning to beekeepers for treatment
- offering viable effective control options to beekeepers
- establishing an outreach education program to facilitate the implementation of the developed monitoring system in Alberta beekeeping management programs
Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund (ACIDF) has agreed to financially support this proposal for the next three years based on matching funds from all industry partners. This new initiative will provide beekeepers with current information on seasonal abundances and distributions of Varroa mites and Nosema across Alberta. Beekeepers will have the ability to forecast outbreaks and treatment times for pests on honey bees. Miticides with new mode of actions and optimization of miticides used to control Varroa mites will be developed based on integrated pest management practices. A comprehensive outreach educational program with on-farm demonstrations to illustrate the developed management system will be carried out.
"Anticipated results of the project will enable Alberta beekeepers to reduce the annual colony losses to 10 to 15 per cent," says Nasr. "The beekeeping industry could save approximately $15 to $20 million per year in the replacement of dead colonies and loss of production. Beekeepers' profits will improve and they will be able to reinvest in growing their businesses. Improving pest management practices will enhance the consumers' confidence in the quality of Alberta honey. Moreover, hybrid canola growers and other growers using honey bees for pollination will be able to secure enough healthy bee supplies for pollinating their crops. Thus, these growers will be able to make additional revenues (approximately $50 million) from improved seed production."
The financial support for this project provided by Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund (ACIDF), Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Alberta Beekeepers Commission, Bayer CropScience, Pioneer Hybrid, Southern Alberta Beekeepers Association Poelman Apiaries Ltd and Greidanus Honey Mill is acknowledged and appreciated. Commercial beekeepers will be contacted to participate in this program. For more details, contact Medhat Nasr at 780-415-2314 or e-mail medhat.nasr@gov.ab.ca
For further information on beekeeping and winterkill, visit Alberta Agriculture's website at www.agriculture.alberta.ca/publications for fact sheets Beekeeping for Beginners and Honey Bees and Winterkill 2007.
The Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development book Beekeeping in Western Canada is also available for purchase for $25 plus GST and shipping and handling. It can be ordered online or by calling the Alberta Agriculture Publications Office toll-free at 1-800-292-5697.
Contact:
Medhat Nasr
780-415-2314 |
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